Techniques for mixing car wash shampoo and water?

[evo77]

What am I doing wrong? I filled up my bucket with 5 gallons of water, then poured in 5 oz. of NXT wash. Mixed the water with my hand to get it sudsy but it barely gave me any suds. When I dipped my Versa-Angle Wide Brush in the bucket and started washing the wifes van it was like I was just washing with water.

Should I have filled with 4 gallons, poured in the NXT wash then filled the last gallon of water by blasting it in with the hose?

What's a good technique to get great suds?

[gb387]

Re: Techniques for mixing car wash shampoo and water?

Originally posted by evo77
Should I have filled with 4 gallons, poured in the NXT wash then filled the last gallon of water by blasting it in with the hose?

What's a good technique to get great suds?

For me if I am in need of sudsing action I use the process you outlined above.

[matt colvin]

, same here

[evo77]

And the only reason I poured the water first then wash was because I remember reading that Mike suggested that method. I was always used to pouring the wash in a empty bucket first, then blasting in the water but I guess this method provides too much suds not enough water?

[matt colvin]

well, just make sure you have your bucket almost as full as you'd like, then add an adequate amount of wash concentrate, and blast away to make sure it's mixed up well. this way you're sure you've met both requirements (enough wash and enough water).

[gb387]

Another way I have recently learned from Mike P. and works well.... fill the bucket with amount of water you need, add the soap and mix by hand. Still provides very good lubricity and you get the amount of water needed but may not be as sudsy.

[Jeepster04]

Ive always put the soap in first. I just dont use alot of pressure and I get enough water. If I lay the pressure to it I can cover the entire driveway in suds.

[evo77]

Originally posted by gb387
Another way I have recently learned from Mike P. and works well.... fill the bucket with amount of water you need, add the soap and mix by hand. Still provides very good lubricity and you get the amount of water needed but may not be as sudsy.

I guess its more perception than anything. If I don't see a lot of soapy suds I don't think I have any soap and I feel like I'm just washing with water.

[monkuboy]

I used to put the soap in first and then blast with water trying to get suds, but the foam went so high there wasn't that much water in the bucket. Then recently I watched Mike's video on wasihng a car and saw he puts the water in then adds the soaps and just stirs it around by hand and with the cup used for the soap. So I tried that the last few times and while it doesn't suds up nearly as much, I just shake the wash mit around to stir it up each time and there's plenty of soap for the car. But psychologically I still feel like there's not enough soap (but the car gets clean so I guess that's the goal, right?).

[gb387]

Originally posted by evo77
I guess its more perception than anything. If I don't see a lot of soapy suds I don't think I have any soap and I feel like I'm just washing with water.

True... I use a sheep skin mitt with or without suds it works very well nice and slick! With the sheep skin mitt mike points out it gets a slimy feel with soap and water.

Now at the end of a wash I spray my hose in the bucket and suds up the water then I do use the suds with my wheel spoke brush as its the best way to get the brush to 'hold' the wash and carry it to the wheel.

[evo77]

Washed the SRT today and put in 2.5 gallons of water, poured in NXT wash, mixed solution with hand then blasted the other half gallon of water and woo-hoo we have suds!

I guess it wasn't THAT hard to figure out. Should have just used common sense...

On another note, I can't believe how well this NXT wash worked out. Holy cow did it make the paint surface so slick when I was drying it with the Meguiars Water Magnet! And that says a lot considering the car has no wax protection whatsoever. (going to fully detail her this coming weekend).

[Murr1525]

Originally posted by evo77

On another note, I can't believe how well this NXT wash worked out. Holy cow did it make the paint surface so slick when I was drying it with the Meguiars Water Magnet! And that says a lot considering the car has no wax protection whatsoever. (going to fully detail her this coming weekend).

I mix it water, soap, water like that when I use soap in a bucket.

As you say, soap seems like soap till you try a good one...